30th District Report - February 16, 2017

As the General Assembly enters its penultimate week of the 2017 session, the following bills have been sent to the Senate or are awaiting the Governor’s signature:

HB 1770 and HB 2352, two bills which provide localities with greater freedom to bring more teachers and career technical educators into the classroom, improving student-teacher ratios and providing students with industry recognized certifications and other technical training critical for our economy.

HB 2024, a bill requiring notification to property owners before their property can be taken through “quick take,” passed the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice on a unanimous vote and has been sent to the Senate floor. Delegate Freitas will be back again next year with a bill that will expand on our efforts to protect property owners from quick take.

HB 2025, a bill to protect religious charities from the Governor’s executive overreach, which would have prevented them from being able to contract with the state to provide desperately needed services to some of the most marginalized people within our society.

HB 2029 is a bill that removes burdensome regulations which prevented our local distilleries from being able to sell products at events and festivals. Distillers will now be able to provide their products at the same events as our Virginia wineries and breweries.

“My goal this year was to focus on regulatory and education reform. We have multiple bills headed to the Governor’s desk which reduce regulations, put control back in the hands of localities and consumers and help equip our students to be competitive in a 21st century economy. Some of our bills which did not make it—such as bills to provide greater food freedom and to expand the cultivation of industrial hemp—died in large part due to the administration’s opposition, but we will be back next year fighting for these and other important issues affecting the 30th District,” Freitas said.